Question Power outage, now HDD keeps trying to start (linked audio clip). What failed and is it recoverable?

[AllTracTurbo]

I bought a new WD Blue 8TB HDD in May (shipped and sold by Amazon). I was going to use it as an external, but I installed it in my computer temporarily so I could copy files to it easier. I filled about 4TB and then procrastinated about removing it and putting it in an external enclosure. It was still in my computer when the power went out to my house for about 1 second and turned back on. I unplugged my computer and waited a couple hours to make sure the power was stable before turning my computer back on again. When I plugged my computer back in, it wouldn't boot and I could hear the HDD spinning up and making a beeping noise over and over. I knew what this meant, so I shut it down and removed the drive.

The computer booted fine and I plugged the HDD in with a USB adapter so I could record the noise it is making. You can hear the platters spin up and then I think there might be the sound of the heads moving before hearing something that sounds like two beeps, then the process repeats. I uploaded the audio here:

Audio file of the HDD noise (you will need to turn your volume way up to hear it spin up. It goes through two cycles. The beeps are around 6s and 15s)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfoqWzmZ00o

Unfortunately I did not make a second backup of the files, so I would like to be able to recover the data if possible, but it is not important enough to me to pay someone to do it. Does anyone know what would have failed to cause this specific beeping type sound? Maybe there was some kind of power surge that burned something out on the board? If that is the case, would it be as simple as buying another same model drive and swapping the board? I remember reading many years ago that there is a chip on the board that stores data about the platters and that needed to be swapped as well, but I'm not sure if all HDDs work that way.

I have learned my lesson and if I am able to recover the data, I will get another drive and make two copies of everything. I am also thinking about getting a UPS for my computer.


Edit: Here are pictures of the board. I also tested what I believe to be the the TVS diodes.

I checked the two larger chips on the bottom left labeled 6BG 28A and 6AE 25A. I checked multiple times and both gave the exact same readings. Putting the black probe on the side with the line gave a reading of 149 on the diode test setting or 83.5 when using the 200 ohm setting. Reversing the probes so the red one is on the side with the line does not give a reading on the diode test or 200 ohm settings.

I believe that means that they are working, but I don't know if they are working properly because I don't know what the readings should be.

 

[jojoharry16]

So first the thing I'm sure of: You absolutely should get a UPS, especially if the power where you live is unstable or unclean in some way. That's very good thinking

Then something I'm less sure of: To me that doesn't sound like a beep, it sounds like a scratch; like of a needle on metal. I would assume that being used is causing some kind of physical issue and the drive should not be relied on for important documents.

Finally my guesswork: If the data isn't important enough to pay for, then I would say plug the HDD into the external enclosure, plug it into you PC once it boots, maybe do a quick SMART scan, and copy whatever works to the PC if it works at all. Worst case scenario you lose the unimportant files, best case scenario you have a less stable but existing backup.

 

[AllTracTurbo]

Finally my guesswork: If the data isn't important enough to pay for, then I would say plug the HDD into the external enclosure, plug it into you PC once it boots, maybe do a quick SMART scan, and copy whatever works to the PC if it works at all. Worst case scenario you lose the unimportant files, best case scenario you have a less stable but existing backup.

I tried to let it spin up as little as possible. I immediately pulled it out of the computer so it didn't keep trying to start and do more damage. Then I connected it with an external SATA adapter to see if it was the drive or if maybe a SATA port or something else on the motherboard failed. Then I recorded the audio and disconnected it.

It's hard to believe it could die so easily. It was just sitting idle in the computer as a mass storage drive not being used when the power went out. That makes me think maybe there was some kind of power surge that killed something on the board.

I would really like to be able to get the data off it, but I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars. I can't connect it to try and copy data because it will not connect. It is in some kind of boot loop where it keeps trying to initialize the drive over and over. That is what the sound in the audio above is. It spins up, the heads move, then there is something that sounds like two beeps, then it repeats. I don't think it can get the info to give to the computer to mount the drive.

I was hoping maybe someone knew what that specific looping sequence meant and maybe it is a common electrical failure on the board that could be fixed. I'm not that great at soldering, but I could follow instructions to check something with a multimeter and if a part is found to be bad, that would be cheap to have someone replace locally.

If I can't find a solution, maybe someone knows of a site that is more focused specifically on diagnosing HDD failures where I could post the audio?

 

[helpstar]

which power supply are you using in your pc?
which exact HDD Wd model is it? should be labeled on top of it.
are you sure you connected the external sata correctly ? did you connect an external power supply to it as well?

usually this sound is like you said it tries to initialize/power on but fails due to a power error.
most likely a so called TVS diode was triggered while the power was cut. should be the 12Volt one.
it's like a fuse but will be 0Ohm after such a failure. you can replace or just remove it to get the HDD powering on again.
could also be like you earlier discribed, that the electronic board was damaged in a different way and you would need to replace it. The bios chip have to be exchanged to the donor board.

 

[DSzymborski]

I'm a bit confused. You say you didn't make a "second backup." So wouldn't you still have your first backup of the original data? Having just the two versions of your data isn't ideal, but you'll probably get to restore your second backup after RMA or replacement of the drive quicker than trying to repair it yourself.

 

[AllTracTurbo]

which power supply are you using in your pc?
which exact HDD Wd model is it? should be labeled on top of it.
are you sure you connected the external sata correctly ? did you connect an external power supply to it as well?

usually this sound is like you said it tries to initialize/power on but fails due to a power error.
most likely a so called TVS diode was triggered while the power was cut. should be the 12Volt one.
it's like a fuse but will be 0Ohm after such a failure. you can replace or just remove it to get the HDD powering on again.
could also be like you earlier discribed, that the electronic board was damaged in a different way and you would need to replace it. The bios chip have to be exchanged to the donor board.

The HDD is a WD80EAAZ - 00BXBB0 manufactured in Feb 2024. It's 5640 rpm for some reason.

Seasonic Focus Gold 750W PSU. Was purchased and in use since September 2018. I haven't noticed any power issues. My overclocked CPU and undervolted GPU have remained perfectly stable. Motherboard is a MSI Pro X670-P WIFI.

The external SATA USB was connected correctly with power. The HDD has the exact same issue whether it is connect internally in the computer or with the SATA adapter. The adapter I used is an Inateck UA1001.

If the TVS diode is blown, you said I can replace or remove it. If it will work without it, does that mean that I can leave it connected and use a jumper wire to bypass it? I'm not sure how small it is or how easy that would be, but at least if it doesn't work, it wouldn't be noticeable and void the warranty. I wouldn't mind voiding the warranty if I was positive I could get the drive to work, but if I can't fix it, I would like to try and get it replaced.

 

[AllTracTurbo]

I'm a bit confused. You say you didn't make a "second backup." So wouldn't you still have your first backup of the original data? Having just the two versions of your data isn't ideal, but you'll probably get to restore your second backup after RMA or replacement of the drive quicker than trying to repair it yourself.

I guess I should have said a second copy. Some of the smaller files are backups and I do have the originals on my boot SSD, but most of the drive is just a large external that I use for mass storage and I do not have copies of the files anywhere else.

 

[USAFRet]

Ignoring the physical drive, does this data live on some other device or two?

 

[AllTracTurbo]

Ignoring the physical drive, does this data live on some other device or two?

I think you posted this comment at about the same time I was replying to someone else who asked the same thing. I have a copy of some of the smaller files on my boot SSD, but unfortunately I do not have any other copies of the vast majority of the files on this drive.

I would like to try and save the data if possible, but it is not worth it to me to spend hundreds of dollars for data recovery. If I can verify that something on the board died, I wouldn't mind paying someone to replace the part or maybe get a whole new board. I don't have the soldering skills to swap the chip on the board, but I just read that there are companies that will do it for you if you buy the board from them. I haven't look into what companies do it or how much it costs.

 

[helpstar]

If the TVS diode is blown, you said I can replace or remove it. If it will work without it, does that mean that I can leave it connected and use a jumper wire to bypass it? I'm not sure how small it is or how easy that would be, but at least if it doesn't work, it wouldn't be noticeable and void the warranty. I wouldn't mind voiding the warranty if I was positive I could get the drive to work, but if I can't fix it, I would like to try and get it replaced.

a tvs diode which got fired will be a short, so by only removing it the circuit would work again. A jumper wire won't work in this scenario.
warranty would most likely be expired by doing so

Seagate WD Hitachi Samsung Toshiba Hitachi hard drive printed circuit board repair data recovery

 

[AllTracTurbo]

a tvs diode which got fired will be a short, so by only removing it the circuit would work again. A jumper wire won't work in this scenario.
warranty would most likely be expired by doing so

Seagate WD Hitachi Samsung Toshiba Hitachi hard drive printed circuit board repair data recovery

Oh yeah, that makes sense. I was thinking it was like a blow fuse and could be jumped, but if it works with it removed, jumping it wouldn't make sense.

If I understand correctly, it sounds like hdd-parts.com (hddgeek) will swap the BIOS chip for free if I buy a board from them and mail them my bad board. By doing that, I would be voiding the warranty, so I feel like if I am going to void the warranty, maybe I should just try and remove the TVS diode first and see if that makes the drive work. If it doesn't make it work, I could still send out the board after. If it does work, I can try replacing the diode myself or have someone else locally solder a new one on for cheap.

Is there anything I should know about removing the TVS diode? Does it just work like a protection fuse that blows if there is a large power surge or does it constantly work to smooth out the power going into the drive, like ripple from a power supply. Without another large power surge, will it do any damage to run the HDD for a prolonged time without the diode? Could I theoretically use the HDD forever with the diode removed, just with a higher chance of it being killed by a power surge, or will small ripple in the power coming from the power supply kill the drive over time?

I'm just not sure if I remove it and the drive works, should I shut it down right away and not use it until I get a new diode soldered on or is it fine to run it that way, just with an increased risk of a power surge killing something more important.

Edit: I just found a good write up explaining how TVS diodes work and have a better understanding now. https://community.wd.com/t/hdd-tvs-diode-faq/14692

 

[fzabkar]

If the drive is spinning up, then the TVS diodes and protection components must be OK. Instead, it sounds like an internal fault, ie heads/media/firmware.

 

[AllTracTurbo]

If the drive is spinning up, then the TVS diodes and protection components must be OK. Instead, it sounds like an internal fault, ie heads/media/firmware.

I was just going to ask about that. Everything I was reading seemed like if the TVS is bad, it cuts power to the drive and the drive won't spin up, but then I also read that a TVS can partially fail. My drive is definitely spinning up and then it sounds like the heads are trying to read something, but it fails and restarts the process.

Do you have any suggestions about how I should proceed from here? Is there an easy way I would be able to diagnose it myself to figure out if it is something on the board that can be fixed with a board replacement? I have a multimeter, but have very little knowledge about how electrical components work, so I would need to be guided. I wouldn't mind getting the board replaced if I knew that would fix it, but I would prefer to not spend the money and then find out that it's a more serious issue that will cost more than I am willing to spend to recover the data.

 

[fzabkar]

Data recovery pros hang out here:

https://ww.reddit.com/r/datarecovery/new/

You might like to ask for their advice.

 

[helpstar]

the drive tries to power up but fails to get enough power to get it all working.

usually there are two tvs diodes one 12V and one 5Volt. a cheap multimeter can check if it´s a short or is still not a short.
maybe you can identify a faulty component visually (black smoke resedue, exploded part,...)

TVS Diodes Save Drives! - 555 Data Recovery Co. (Brisbane Northside)

‘ Morning all - HAPPY FRIDAY!! They go shorted, sometimes smoke and burn but they are there to protect your valuable DATA.Nearly all hard drives are fitted with overvoltage protection TVS diodes.Why?When your PC power supply goes bad, there’s potential for the +5 or +12v lines to go high which...

555dr.com.au

 

[AllTracTurbo]

the drive tries to power up but fails to get enough power to get it all working.

usually there are two tvs diodes one 12V and one 5Volt. a cheap multimeter can check if it´s a short or is still not a short.
maybe you can identify a faulty component visually (black smoke resedue, exploded part,...)

TVS Diodes Save Drives! - 555 Data Recovery Co. (Brisbane Northside)

‘ Morning all - HAPPY FRIDAY!! They go shorted, sometimes smoke and burn but they are there to protect your valuable DATA.Nearly all hard drives are fitted with overvoltage protection TVS diodes.Why?When your PC power supply goes bad, there’s potential for the +5 or +12v lines to go high which...

555dr.com.au

I just tested what I believe are the TVS diodes and added the info and a couple pictures to the original post. I will copy the same info here.

I checked the two larger chips on the bottom left labeled 6BG 28A and 6AE 25A. I checked multiple times and both gave the exact same readings. Putting the black probe on the side with the line gave a reading of 149 on the diode test setting or 83.5 when using the 200 ohm setting. Reversing the probes so the red one is on the side with the line does not give a reading on the diode test or 200 ohm settings.

I believe that means that they are working, but I don't know if they are working properly because I don't know what the readings should be.

There is no burnt smell and I didn't notice anything that looked burned or melted.

 

[helpstar]

yes these are the diodes.
readings are not that important, if the diodes are shortened, resistance should be 0 Ohm, and therefore faulty. If any resistance is there, should be fine